Fave e cicorie

Step 1: Drain and rinse 10 ½ oz dried skinned split broad beans. Put them in a heavy pot with 5 ½ oz starchy potato and 1 bay leaf and pour in cold water to cover by 2 cm (about 900 ml).

Step 2: Bring to a simmer over a medium heat. Skim off the grey foam that rises in the first 5 minutes with a spoon, then turn the heat to low.

Step 3: Partly cover and cook for 50–60 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes and scraping the bottom, until the beans have collapsed into a thick, pale mash. Common mistake: walking away for long stretches; the beans settle and catch on the base, and a scorched taste runs through the whole pot. Add a splash of hot water if it looks dry before the beans are soft.

Step 4: Meanwhile wash 1 ½ lb wild chicory or dandelion greens in several changes of water until no grit is left in the bowl.

Step 5: Bring a large pan of water to the boil with ¾ tsp salt. Cook the greens for 6–10 minutes, depending on how tough they are, until the stems are tender when pinched.

Step 6: Drain the greens well and squeeze out some of the water with the back of a spoon.

Step 7: Warm 2 tablespoons of 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan over a medium-low heat with 1 clove garlic and ¼ tsp dried chilli flakes for 1 minute, until the garlic smells sweet. Add the greens and toss for 2 minutes, then take out the garlic.

Step 8: Take the bean pot off the heat and lift out the bay leaf. Beat the beans hard with a wooden spoon (or a whisk) for 1–2 minutes, drizzling in 2 ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil and ¾ tsp salt, until the purée is smooth, glossy and soft enough to slowly find its level, like thick mashed potato.

Step 9: Spoon the purée onto one side of warm plates and the greens beside it. Pour over 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and scatter with ½ red onion if you like.